Jennifer Hudson on Success, Staying Present, and Her Next Big Dream
EGOT winner and entrepreneur Jennifer Hudson discusses giving back, fostering connections, and making the most of every moment
January 30, 2025

Jennifer Hudson / Photo: Jay L. Clendenin/Contour RA/Getty Images
Long before Jennifer Hudson made her big-screen debut as Effie White in the movie adaptation of Dreamgirls, she was a little girl with big dreams of her own. Counting Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston among her musical idols, Hudson got her start in the church choir and also enjoyed doing community theater.
Today, Hudson is an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT) winner, nationally syndicated talk show, host, and producer. One could assume she has achieved all her dreams. But those assumptions would be wrong.
“I’m your dream girl,” Hudson tells Business Traveler. “I’m always dreaming.”
Among those dreams is adding another EGOT to her name and expanding her production credits. She’d also like to add director to her already impressive résumé.
“I was able to achieve my personal dreams by the time I was 30,” she says. “Now I’m 43, and God has blessed me with so much more beyond what I could dream. But you will always see me try, and I’m open to what’s next.”

With her EGOT awards (Emmy, Grammys, Oscar, Tony) / Photo: Courtesy of @IAMJHUD
In one of her initiatives, Hudson joined fellow Chicagoans Chance the Rapper and the late Quincy Jones in becoming owners of the city’s historic Ramova Theatre, which served as the primary movie theater for the Bridgeport neighborhood from 1929 to 1985. After lying dormant for nearly 40 years, the theater reopened in December 2023 as a live music venue with a restaurant, beer garden, and brewery.
“It’s a community thing. I like having those places where we can come together as a community on the South Side,” says Hudson. “As an artist, I would love to see more events being held in Chicago. And being in the company of the great Quincy Jones and Chance…well, I wouldn’t have missed that opportunity to see us Chicagoans come together in that way.” And though Hudson’s award-winning eponymous talk show films in Burbank, California, it’s not uncommon for Chicago residents to see the star walking around the Windy City.
“Chicago will always be home,” she says. “Sometimes people are surprised to know I still reside in Chicago, but I would never change that. I go everywhere and wherever my work leads me, but Chicago is home.”

Chicago’s Ramova Theatre, which Hudson reopened with Chance the Rapper and Quincy Jones / Photo: Courtesy of Eric Laignel
It’s that hometown pride and investment in her community that inspires Hudson to constantly give back to the city that raised her and the children who live there. “My heart is with the children,” she says. “I love to do anything to brighten the future, to let our kids know it’s never too early to start dreaming.”
In 2009, Hudson, along with her older sister, Julia, founded the Julian D. King Gift Foundation, which provides Chicago children in need with school supplies and Christmas presents.
In addition to the foundation, Hudson has donated to numerous causes, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Make-a-Wish Foundation, and Stand Up to Cancer, through her partnership with Mastercard. The latter has also included the Strivers Initiative, with the credit card working with the Fearless Fund—a venture-capital group supporting awareness of women- and minority-owned businesses—to provide visibility, funds, and financial tools to small businesses involved in arenas such as beauty and retail. Hudson has been the public face of the project, which has donated more than $125,000.
But she’s not stopping there. Hudson also has a deep desire to support children in the arts. “It was the arts that kept me in school,” she says. “I had perfect attendance because I didn’t want to miss music class. I want to see the arts in schools, so I put my focus in that area. All of this has been motivated by what I love and what I’m passionate about.”

Mastercard and Hudson partnered to donate $25,000 to Rhonda X to invest in her virtual reality development and marketing company, RXVR Brands / Photo: Courtesy of Chris Millard/Warner Bros
And there’s nothing Hudson loves more than creating a sense of home and connection wherever she goes, including the set of her daytime talk show, which she lovingly refers to as “The Happy Place.” If you’ve spent any time on social media in the last year, chances are you’ve seen celebrities walking, dancing and strutting their way down the infectious “spirit tunnel” on the set of The Jennifer Hudson Show. Before meeting the host, guests are enthusiastically greeted by staff members with an original song and rhythmic handclaps.
“I love singing and celebrating, so the staff and crew put the two together,” she says. “When I was getting ready to walk out on stage, they were singing to me. That’s the spirit of the show. We just like to make everybody feel celebrated and loved when they come through. I like every place to feel like home. I don’t know any other way than to create a family environment.”
Since premiering on Hudson’s 41st birthday in 2022, The Jennifer Hudson Show has earned an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Talk Series and has been nominated for several Daytime Emmy Awards. In addition to serving as the show’s host, Hudson is also an executive producer of the show.
“Everyone has their idea of what success is,” she says. “But to me, it’s when I meet whatever goal I set out to do personally. So there is no one set formula.”
With so many accolades, it would be easy for Hudson to get swept up in her success. But she maintains that staying present through it all is key.
“I make the best out of every moment I’m in and give every bit of it my all,” she says. “I’ve found the best way to do it is as my grandma used to say: Take it one day at a time, one step at a time.” For those who hope to follow in her footsteps—whether as an entertainer or entrepreneur—Hudson’s advice is to remember your why and not become discouraged when challenges inevitably come your way.
“If you keep at it, it has no choice but to give in,” she says. “And once you show your value, people have no choice but to allow you space. Create your own space and your own lanes.
No matter what we do or who we are, you have to remember why you do what you do. That can give you the energy to keep moving forward.
“God placed me there, and I have no choice but to be prepared,” she continues. “When I look through our human eye, that’s what we call our passion. But when I look through my spiritual eye, sometimes these things are assignments and they’re bigger than us. Know that you deserve to be where you are. So many naysayers are telling us what we can and can’t do. I must’ve done something worthy enough for me to be here. So you have to know that you deserve to be where you are. You have to trust in that, too.”
To her younger self, the 21-year-old who auditioned for the third season of American Idol back in 2003, Hudson would say: “Stay every bit of who you are. It’s okay to be who you are.”

First capturing the nation’s attention on American Idol, 2004 / Photo: Ray Mickshaw/Wire Image/Getty Images
“Through life, sometimes we get weary and don’t trust ourselves,” she says. “Don’t expect other people to create your dream for you. People will try to tell you how your dream is supposed to go, but no, you get to dictate that.”
Next month, Hudson will expand her credits once more as a producer for the Broadway musical adaptation of Smash, the NBC series she appeared on in 2013. As for what the rest of 2025 will hold, Hudson is looking forward to more joy, more traveling, and more aspirations. “I’m excited to see what all it has in store and dream up new dreams.”